.:Chapter two - Mission statement:.
"...and I could be sleeping in my bed right now, happy and warm and having dreams about..." Blinking, deep brown orbs looking thoughtful, the voice continued, "Well...Dreaming period!" he finished, grumbling about how heavy his bag was.
"Shut up, Bakura. You think I want to be up at this hour?" Yami asked irritably, walking regally in front of the near-albino. "And you were supposed to pack lightly," he added, turning to glare over his shoulder.
"First off, this IS lightly!" the pale being exclaimed, holding up his bag, which had several rather large lumps filtering around from inside it. "And secondly, you woke up a while ago, so you could do your primping!" he accused, and then growled, sounding much like an angry cat, warning its attacker before the strike.
Yami whirled, pointing his finger, annoyed, at the taller Althasian. "I don't 'primp', I was trying to make myself look presentable!" he countered, sighing and turning back around. He started walking again, hearing the footsteps behind him, signaling the others were following. Suddenly, he was tackled, letting out an undignified yelp as a certain blonde sat proudly on his back.
"I win, I win," Mariku sung, rocking back and forth, smiling giddily. And if that wasn't bad enough, he then leaned down, nuzzling the prince's 'primped up' hair with his face, rubbing it out of position.
"What is wrong with you!" Yami screamed, throwing the taller male off of him, hands going up to his hair, trying to sort out the mess. "I had it perfect!" he continued, having dropped his luggage, now obsessed with his hair.
"That's just his way of showing his love," Bakura said, smirking. Torturing Yami was oh-so much fun... "ACK!" he cried, as he was hit by a tanned blur, being knocked to the ground.
"Yes! And Mariku shows his love for Ba-Ra now!" the blonde chirped, lying on top of the white-haired male, practically wagging his tail. If he had one, of course. But this fact didn't stop him from licking Bakura's face like a dog.
Yami turned, seeing the site, and then stopped fussing over his hair, now almost pitying the pale Althasian. "May Ethe-hle save you, Bakura." he mumbled, shaking his head sadly, as though he just witnessed his comrade being struck down in battle. Picking up his things, he continued walking toward the large building they were to assemble at.
---
"And once again, you remain faithful to your intent upon being late," drawled the bored voice of their leader. "And I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was HOPING for more than this," he continued, glaring at the three's appearance.
Yami's hair was frizzing out in every imaginable angle, looking irritated at the fact that things never seemed to be his fault, but he got blamed for them anyway. Next to him was a very harassed looking Bakura, his hair sticking up on one side, where it was spiked up with dried spittle. Even further, standing next to the pale boy, was Mariku, who was sucking on his busted lip (which Bakura was nursing his fist from), was standing as if he'd done nothing wrong. He had an expression of a puppy that had been kicked, looking quite pathetic. One would almost think HE had been the one who was on the receiving end of everything. And if that wasn't enough... they were all covered in dirt.
Sighing, the old man rubbed his temples. "Fix yourselves up a bit before you head off." He waved his hand at them, turning. "Look decent, at least," he added, walking towards the automatic door. He suddenly glanced at them over his shoulder. "And when you're ready, you know what to do." he finished, pointing to a contraption that looked much like an elevator, a table with several instruments spread out across it. He opened the door with a push of a button, and exited the room. "Good luck" was the last thing he said before the door shut behind him.
Yami blinked, eye twitching. "Why," he began, sounding quite upset. "Must you both always ruin my life?" he seemed almost pleading at the end of that sentence. He then started rubbing his hair, trying to put it back the way it had been when he had left his housing complex. Meanwhile, Bakura remained where he was, glaring, grumbling something about needing a wet rag, and trying to ignore Mariku, who was wrapped around his leg tightly, nuzzling his knee.
"Do you really think we'll fit in with those... things?" the white-haired being suddenly spoke up, glancing over at Yami, who seemed to have gotten most of his hair sorted out. The prince blinked back at him, bloody red eyes thoughtful.
"Well, our species do look incredibly alike... I believe we can pull it off." he replied, giving one last stroke to his hair.
"Well, if they're as crazy as Leader Mono says they are, then this thing should fit right in." Bakura muttered, trying to shake the tanned male off of him. But Mariku just gripped tighter, whining against the leg.
"It's disrespectful to call our leader by a nickname, you know," Yami pointed out, dusting off his outfit, which was a black, skin-fitting shirt and long black pants, complete with shiny boots in the same color. Buckles peppered along the boots and shirt, giving them a unique look. Bakura and Mariku were wearing much of the same thing, only Bakura's shirt looked more...torn. And without the buckles. He hated buckles. They were 'too damn hard' to UNbuckle. But this was only because he had little to no patience, so he tended to tear them in half before getting them off, claiming the poor deceased thing started it. Mariku's had complex-looking zippers in place of the buckles. How he ever figured those out was beyond the other two, but some things were just best left unasked.
"But his name's too freaking long to say!" Bakura answered, grunting as he tried to disentangle the blonde from him. "Get off, Mariku!" he shouted, pushing the other down his leg.
"No! Baku-Baku being mean!" he wailed, clinging tighter, and sunk his teeth through the pale one's pants, hooking himself there. Bakura froze, muscles locked in awkward positions, and his left eye twitched up. Yami wearily backed up, intending to get away from the soon-to-be fight scene.
"Get. Your. Fucking. Teeth. Out. Of. My. Leg..." he growled, hissing like a snake, bearing his fangs at the other.
"Uh-uh!" Mariku refused, shaking his head as best he could with his mouth being attached to something at the moment.
"Ow!" Bakura yelped, falling to the ground, kicking his legs violently. "You little--!"
Never one to change their ways, the two once again engaged in combat.
Sighing and raking a hand through his hair, Yami shook his head, walking over to the small table, picking up the little earpiece. "Guys, please, we really have to get serious..." he said, voice quiet. Mariku and Bakura blinked over at him, latched around each other, nails dug into flesh and tearing at clothes and hair. Silently, they both let go of the other, standing up on their feet, slowly, a blank look on each of their faces (though Mariku looked more excited than anything else). Bakura started walking forward, holding tight to Mariku's wrist and pulling him along like a child. Finally stopping in front of the table, next to Yami (and hauling the blonde up beside them), he reached out a pale hand, and took two of the small electronics as well, lifting it up, and hooking one into his ear, and the other on his throat, under his chin, Yami doing the same. He looked over to tell Mariku to do what they were doing, when he saw the tanned male grinning at him, the chips already set up on his body.
'...That was odd. But who am I to judge?' Shrugging it off, he turned to the short prince, straightening out his shirt for a final time. "You ready?" he asked, looking directly into those deep bloody eyes.
Yami gave a solemn nod, tilting his head towards the machine next to them. It did, indeed, resemble an elevator, only... standing by its lonesome in the middle of the room. Closing his eyes, and giving a final sigh, he stepped forward, only stopping when he was inside, moving aside to make room for the other two. He watched them both silently through his slanted eyes, still gazing when all three were fully inside the contraption. The pale and dark skinned Althasian stared back at him, Bakura nodding once, and Mariku looking strangely calm and serious.
"Better hope Mono-Leader programmed that thing correctly, or we'll wind up floating around in space," Bakura laughed, though it wasn't filled with much humor.
Yami glared at him, kicking him slightly in the leg. The white-haired male growled and glowered at the shorter one, as if he were about to rip him apart. The prince only scoffed; "Behave," he chided, as if reprimanding a child. The pale one just pouted and looked away.
The spiky-haired male slowly reached out a hand, seeming somewhat reluctant. He heaved a sigh, and was about to flip the switch that would turn on the machine. And he would have, had a tanned hand not stopped him. Yami looked up, seeing two cloudy, violet eyes staring back at him. The paler one blinked, then blinked again. "Yes, Mariku...?"
The taller male just kept the stony expression, not moving in anyway, still grasping the shorter's hand. "Can I push the button?" he asked, sounding like a child.
Both Yami and Bakura almost fell over at the request. "Uh, sure..." the prince said, moving to the side slightly. "You know how to, right?" he added, attempting to make sure the other knew what he was doing and wasn't about to kill them all.
The blonde nodded curtly before pushing the smaller male out of the way, grinning insanely and flicking the switch up, turning on the power. Next, he pulled open a small box, with a keypad in it. His fingers lightly traced down it, causing Yami and Bakura to gasp. If he touched a button on there, it would screw up the whole thing! But he didn't, he just laughed at the two and then moved his hand further, his thumb mashing in a small cylinder about the size of half of a dime. He let out something akin to a cackle at what he'd done, as though it amused him highly. "I pushed the button!" he cheered, clapping his hands together.
Yami sighed. "Yes... you did." ...wait... "Why isn't anything happening?" he asked, blinking. "Mariku, what did you do!" But the said being only blinked back innocently at him, tilting his head.
"Why, Mariku did nothing... nothing-nothing, he says!" He even shook his head for good measure.
Bakura was about to add his two cents, when suddenly, the thing started shaking heavily, causing him to fall over, on top of Yami, landing in a compromising position. Mariku giggled, having held onto the railing on the wall. They all three were enveloped in a bright light, before suddenly...they were gone, luggage and all.
---
Mariku sat cross-legged, happily swaying back and forth, watching the two in front of him. They'd made it to the planet, apparently (though they'd landed in an alley between two red-bricked buildings), but that wasn't the majorities' main concern right now...
"I got your hair in my mouth!" Yami raged, scratching at his tongue, while Bakura glared. "Do you know how disgusting it is, to have someone's unwashed hair in your mouth!" he continued, throwing his hands to the heavens.
"Hey--I wash my hair, thank you!" the pale Althasian retorted, pointing a finger at the shorter one.
"When was the last time you did!"
"...Well, you're hair's not that good-tasting either!"
Mariku threw his head back, causing him to fall and land on his back as he listened to the argument. He blinked when he saw a small creature walk by. It had large eyes and ears, and fur covering it's whole body. It also had whiskers and a long, thin tail. The tanned male frowned, curiosity sparkling in his eyes. He slowly turned on his stomach and started crawling towards it, watching as it licked itself. When he was finally in front of the small thing, he sat down, imitating the animal and began licking his hand, before slicking it back over his hair, just as the one before him did.
"You're just avoiding the ques...tion..." Yami trailed off as he noticed Mariku, who was currently (and happily) preening himself, fitting in fine with the small thing in front of him. Bakura turned and watched the scene as well, blinking.
"That freak," he trailed off, shaking his head.
"And you're one to talk?"
"Shut it, you!"
Mariku was now able to drown out the fight completely, only focusing on what had captured his interest. The thing looked up and blinked at him with its large, green eyes. "Mrow?"
"Meow!" Mariku answered, grinning. He reached for it and picked it up, petting its head gently, causing the creature to start purring contentedly. "Yami! I wanna keep it!" he yelled over his shoulder, holding up the animal up, showing it off. It was orange with white spots, and black paws and tail. "I'll name it, uh..." he blinked, looking up as though in thought. Suddenly he gasped. "I'll name it Princess!" he exclaimed, hugging the thing close. Bakura's eyes wandered downwards, and made a face.
"Whatever that thing is, it's a boy, Mariku..."
"Mariku knows! That is why Princess is what his name shall be!"
Suddenly, a quick scream was heard, and all three heads snapped up at the voice, Yami rushing to the entrance of the alley. He frowned, and then made a sign for Bakura to follow, since Mariku was too busy with his new friend, "Princess."
"Looks like a fight," he commented, watched the scene. There were six or seven people standing near a tree, in the small park only a few feet away, all wearing black. The short prince frowned, and was about to say something else on the subject, when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw Mariku walking towards the scene, new pet and all. "Mariku!" he exclaimed, eyes widening. What was he doing!
Finally, the dark-skinned Althasian reached the scene, tilting his head to the side, cuddling the animal in his arms. "Why are you hurting those kids?" he asked, curious.
All of the people seemed to be incredibly shocked. The tallest, burliest one, replied in a shout, something the alien couldn't understand in the slightest. Aside from the violent tone of voice, he also got a finger pointed in his direction. Mariku frowned and leaned forward, chomping down hard on the other's hand. This earned him a shriek and a fist to the head, but fortunately, the blonde had incredible fast reflexes, and dodged, still holding the fluffy ball in his arms. "Mariku doesn't know what you said, but he doesn't like the way you said it!" he replied, glaring. He looked the guy straight in the eyes and hissed at him, causing this thing against his chest to do the same. Suddenly, Mariku growled, sounding like a beast, and bared his teeth, his fangs showing. Letting his little buddy fall from his hold, he hunched over, as though he were about to pounce. The three tallest guys glanced quickly at each other, looking uneasy, and mumbled something, before backing off and walking away, one shouting something over his shoulder. They continued to shuffle off, their demeanor not looking like an overall happy one.
The blonde grinned, straightening up as if nothing had happened. "Mariku is a good attack-creature!" he chimed, clasping his hands together, before looking at the three that remained. He blinked, staring down at them, all three being at least half a foot, if not more, shorter than him. He leaned down, examining them, in which they moved back a few steps, huddling together. But who could really blame them? There was obviously a psychopath standing in front of them, eyeing them closely, possibly before he went in for the kill. And the one the said psychopath was currently staring in the eyes had light violet ones and bleach-blonde locks falling down into his face, plus a dark complexion (though he was somewhat lighter than Mariku). But he had lots of dark stuff around his eyes and strange markings underneath them. Standing next to him was a dumbfounded albino-like boy, looking very confused and slightly fearful. And next to that one was a boy who had hair that resembled a star. A tri-colored star, at that. A very short star, with huge gray-violet eyes, bigger than Princess'!
The tanned one, who resembled him slightly, said something under his voice, but it went in one ear and out the other for the slightly insane being. Mariku tilted his head, blinking, before leaning in and sniffing him, grabbing the other's shirt. This caused the boy to shout, and try to push him off. But if that wasn't enough, the Althasian moved his face forward, licking a trail up the side of the boy's face.
The scream that followed that action was surely heard for four blocks or more.
.:Chapter end:.
...Yeah. Heh, sorry, the last half of this was kinda rushed... I'll prolly come back and revise it later, but I just really wanted to get this out. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for the wait! And before I'm done, I would seriously like to thank everyone who reviewed--it's you guys who inspire me to write!
-Cecilia